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October 7, 2010

~Maren

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March 18, 2010

Exciting things are going on with the medical ministry of Agape Unlimited, and we would love you to know more about it.  Check out these links to find out more about the ministry (and our time with them in Moscow last June).  Drop us an email if you have questions!

~Maren

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January 16, 2010

I enjoy Christmas and the opportunity it gives us to hear news from friends in other parts of the world.  We have received treasured Christmas cards, photos, and greetings these last weeks.  God sent His Son as the greatest Gift, and He continues to shower us with blessings in the form of relationships with others who have accepted the same Gift!

This weekend I am collecting (and writing) letters to send with a friend on a GAiN Mission later this month.  In a small way we can be a part of this trip I'd love to join in person. 

~Maren

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August 28, 2009

Yes, we made it to Moscow earlier this summer, and we made it back!  It was a wonderful, wonderful trip.  I'll let the pictures and Hannah's captions tell our Agape story.  Visit these links:

~Maren

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May 29, 2009

Where do I start after not updating you for so long?  The phone calls from friends visiting from other countries, a prayer request for our interpreter friend who is hospitalized with heart trouble, news from the distribution center, Bright Lights updates...  Rather than go into details, let me tell you what's happening now, today, early this afternoon...

Hannah and I fly for Moscow in a few hours!  We will spend two weeks teaching English to the staff at the Agape Medical Clinic.  Would you please pray for us?  Ask that we would be a blessing to the ministry going on there already and that we'd be able to make the many connections that need to happen before we return.  Also please pray for our family back home.  Their willingness to step up and fill in and send us off makes this trip possible.

Yes, there is so much to tell.  And there will be more in a couple weeks.  But it must wait.  Last minute packing, here I come!

~Maren

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March 7, 2009

This is the first day of the March volunteer packing project at the GAiN distribution center.  It runs from the 7th to the 11th.  Are you able to make it there? 

Look at what was accomplished this past fall?!  My family and I made up five of the 5,177 volunteers that were there.  :-) 

You might be thinking, "That's a list of stuff."  True.  But it's "stuff" that is used all over the world to open doors for the Gospel.  It's a way to put God's love in action!

~Maren

--13.2 40-foot shipping containers of aid

--309 pallets

     o 219 full pallets

     o 90 half pallets

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February 25, 2009

Just this morning I was thinking about how thankful I am for glasses.  Without them I wouldn't be able to see to function in life!  Then this flyer came about the need for eyeglass cases.  We need a place to keep them too!  The ministry is in need of 2,000 for a mission in April.  Want to sew?

~Maren

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February 21, 2009

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January 23, 2009

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January 6, 2009

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December 30, 2008

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October 9, 2008

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September 19, 2008

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August, 2008

Global Aid Network (GAiN) coordinates mission trips to many different countries all throughout the year.  But even when there aren't teams overseas delivering aid and sharing the gospel, there is always a team of people working in a warehouse in the Pennsylvania countryside.  What do they do there?

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August 27, 2008

I came to the computer to update the web this morning.  It was going to be a quick job, and I would move on with the day.  Instead my heart sunk.  My files were not here! 

I had to set it aside until this evening.  We had 3 children visiting for the day and a birthday to celebrate, but I couldn't shake a dread of the hours of work before me to rebuild the website-- hours that I did not have.  Tonight I asked the family to pray.  Then I tried to gather my whits and dig in, thick manual open before me, to see what could be done.  Here I am!  It wasn't so bad!!!  Back in business-- I think.  You may notice a couple odd things about some of the pages, but we can live with that for now.  Before publishing this update, I had better take some precautions to protect the information. 

Why tell you all this?  It's my Father's footsteps once again.  He knows all that I have on my plate just as He knows what you have before you today.  When we go about our to-do lists without remembering to look for Him and follow, He has to get our attention. 

My Father has my attention now.  I see Him here, and He cares even about this.  I would love to hear where you are seeing His footsteps. 

~Maren

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May 29, 2008

Last night over tea we enjoyed some Hulva (my spelling) bars from Belarus.  Hulva is made from the shells of sunflower seeds and makes for what I consider a quite delicious candy bar when coated in chocolate.  It is certainly interesting!

A major project has been coming to an end around here.  Dad and Elsa put together a photo DVD of the pictures taken by several of the mission volunteers.  With the help of Hannah's sound editing expertise, they have also made up an audio CD from the 80 some tracks that Elsa recorded on the trip.  The trip participants may be able to use these as they continue to tell the story of what God did during those two weeks and what He continues to do.

~Maren

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April 22, 2008

This coming Sunday, Dad, Elsa, and Kristi are going to be presenting their Belarus mission report at our church.  It is going to be a multi-media program with pictures, a video clip, and audio clips.  I'm excited to see the finished product!  Come if you'd like.  If you haven't yet talked with one of the three in person, you might be in for some surprises.  It was a mission trip unlike any that had ever been on before this.  Here's what you need to know.

Sunday, April 27th

It's our annual Birthday Fellowship Sunday!

Sunday School, 9:30; Church, 10:30; Pot-luck meal; Belarus report, about 1:00 PM; Birthday cake.

Place: Rothsay Baptist Church

Will we see you there?!

~Maren

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March 24, 2008

Did you know that the Russian word for Sunday means resurrection?  (More Russian facts)  He is Risen!  Interestingly, we learned this morning that Russian Orthodox Easter isn't until sometime in April.

Our Easter Monday vacation day began in an unusual way.  We connected via email and Skype with our interpreter in Siberia.  (For a bit we are only 12 hours behind until they have their time change!) She is an English teacher and had some grammar questions.  Our conclusion after lots of sentence diagramming, study, and head scratching was that we shouldn't have to know all the details of verbals-- just speak them and write them.  :-) 

A couple weeks ago Mom was in touch with our interpreter also.  That time they worked to get systems in place that will hopefully make our prison ministry communication go more smoothly.  You can pray that emails will not be lost in cyberspace.   

Yes, the travelers are back and finally returning to good health.  They are still sorting through pictures and experiences to decide how best to share them with you.  This trip they saw perhaps the greatest openness ever to the Gospel though in the face of the greatest opposition.  We rejoice at the life-giving message that was able to be delivered.  Thank you for your support!

~Maren

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March 6, 2008

We had short notes from Elsa and Kristi today.  They are in Minsk at the moment.  Hopefully they are in bed now though it's hard to say.  It's their last evening with their interpreters, and that can be a late one.  They leave at 2:30 AM for the hour bus ride to the airport. The flight departs at 5:30 AM for Vienna.  Whew!  I'm sure it will be sad to leave Belarus...

Please pray that Dad's passport doesn't cause any problems during the rest of the travel.  On the way into the country, he had four people looking at it and was delayed.  The humidity and rain of Ecuador did a number on his picture, and they don't like it! 

Elsa is trying to hold a cold at bay, and Dad already has one.  She tells us they have had more very interesting experiences.  There will be a lot to hear when they return.

This week I got a letter from one of my pen-pals in Gomel!  That was pretty fun since that is where the team was at the time.  We have another salad recipe to try. 

Mom has also been receiving letters-- and writing them.  Her Siberian prisoners keep her busy!

Thanks for your prayers!

~Maren

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March 5, 2008

I promised more, didn't I?  First about Sunday...

The team split up and went to three different churches.  Like normal in those countries, it was a long service.  The singing alone probably lasted an hour!  Elsa wrote that they also had "a long sermon that Katya interpreted concurrently.  Communion.  Dad had a greeting - went very well.  They also had a time in the service when all the kids came to the front of the church and they prayed for them.  They do that once a month.  At the end we had communion.  The service was different than others we have been to here, but a good experience."
 

Then they went home with a family, and they cooked a huge meal "of yummy chicken soup, a huge plate of meat and potatoes, carrot salad, beet salad, rye bread, and a cinnamon and raisin bread for dessert. Grape/strawberry juice to drink."

There have also been the ministry sites which they have enjoyed so much.  Elsa commented, "The people are so much more
welcoming and warm than I remembered."

She went on to tell what they had done at one of the sites: "Today we had a bubble gum blowing contest, balloon blowing contest, shake a friend's hand, Kristi's presentation, throwing a ball to someone and asking a question, a little presentation of Art and Glady's, gospel bead bracelet...  Intense and busy times, but lots of fun.

There's so much to tell--big assembly type meetings, Samaritan's Purse shoe boxes, answers to prayer-- but I may let them tell some of the other stories on their own. :-)

The surprise that I referred to last time should have happened the evening of the 5th.  Back in Minsk they were going to put on a surprise baby shower for the families of several of the interpreters and coordinators with whom they have been working.  I wonder if they are used to that in their country or if it will be a cultural experience...

More to come tomorrow...

~Maren

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March 3, 2008

Emails were flying back and forth between Minnesota and Belarus for a bit once again today!  Elsa was filling us in on who we knew of the interpreters from our 2000 and 2001 trips.  They are getting to spend this time with lots of friends!

The last day of planned ministry sites is soon beginning.  They will be sad to have it over, but yet many are coming down with colds and other ailments.  Please pray for healing and wonderful opportunities to shine the light of Christ into this last place.  They have had great times already.  God has been going before them.

I will report more soon, but bed is calling now.  There was their Sunday, details of a visit to one classroom, and  a surprise...

~Maren

PS--Kristi, Elsa, and others have their pictures on the ministry blog!

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February 29, 2008

At last the travelers made it to an internet cafe!  They are alive and well but exhausted physically and emotionally.  Please pray for them to get the sleep and refreshment that they need to be able to continue reaching out to so many needy people. 

Dad, Elsa, and Kristi share a wonderful interpreter with two other volunteers.  She is their voice!  (Elsa says she is a "blast" and is "adventuresome and helpful"!) They have had wonderful times with the children at the sites.  We are waiting for the detailed stories!  They say we are to keep checking the ministry blog.

Something new and different is that a church sent over a set of children's bells to be given away, and in the meantime, the team has formed a bell choir!  Kristi and Elsa are the "directors."  So far they have learned two songs.

One day it made it to 53 degrees!  Mostly it has been in the 30's and 40's.  They wish for snow.  I can't imagine Belarus not being white!

Most of the luggage has made it there, so thanks for the prayers in that regard! 

Please continue to pray that the group will be welcomed to each site on their schedule.  There is some question about one of the sites early next week.  We need to pray that they would be allowed the opportunity to extend hope to the hopeless at this particular place.

~Maren

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February 27, 2008

Dad (Paul), Elsa, Kristi D., and many other close friends are in Belarus!  Though getting there had its bumps, they made it safely.  We had an email from them upon their arrival in the capital city of Minsk.  Now they are in Gomel and in the middle of intense ministry days.  The group has posted a couple updates on the ministry blog.  There you can read about the neat things God is doing.  I hope to post more about the mission on this site as well.  Thanks so much for your prayers!  If you want to know more specifically how to pray, email us. 

~Maren

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December 31, 2008

Christmas in Russia is traditionally celebrated in early January following the Russian Orthodox calendar, but many of the evangelical churches have adopted December 25th as their day of celebration.  Our Russian friends are faithful at sending greetings around our holiday.  With a quick count I'm coming up with at least 10 such email greetings this year! 

Joy to the world! The Lord is come;

Let earth receive her king...

Merry Christmas... and a Happy New Year!

~Maren

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November 9, 2007

~Maren

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September 28, 2007

We had a letter from our former prisoner friend in Siberia.  His is a success story.  He is out of prison, has a family and a strong faith, and is carrying out prison ministry in the region in connection with the local church. 

The letter was an interesting one for us.  He had been searching for prison friends with whom we had lost contact.  Some news was good, some not so good.  At least now we can get in touch with them again.  Our friend writes this about one of the men: "I still do not give up hope and continue praying for him. God always answers, He will answer here too."

He had another prayer concern too, even asking that we get others praying.  Their second child is due in October, and they have a great need for a new home.  Their current house is just too small for four people at 12.3 square meters, and it is "unfit to be lived in."  He didn't explain this time, but in the winter they also have had trouble keeping their home heated.  When their first son was a baby, they hauled water from outside and had a wood stove for all heating and cooking needs. 

They have no opportunity to upgrade because of his job situation and history, but they are trusting that God can work out the details and provide all that is needed.  He writes, "But anyway we do not hang our heads down. We believe that God created His people and will newer leave them. We give our needs into His hands and ask you and your church to pray with us." Would you join us in praying for this?  God has worked in mighty ways to bring this man to where he is today.  If God can change hearts, He can certainly provide a new home.  I look forward to being able to give a report!

~Maren

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August 15, 2007

The phone rang the other day, and you'll never guess from where the person on the other end was calling.  Siberia!  It was Ksenia!  She wanted to hear about our dog, Regi.  We wanted to hear about her summer activities.  It's been either too hot or too cold most of the year for their gardens. They are missing the cucumbers and tomatoes.  I can't imagine Russia without them.

Since we're thinking about Russia, I should tell you what Hannah and I got to do this past week.  We did one of my favorite activities--shopping for school supplies!  I can only use so many 12 cent packs of crayons myself, so I welcomed an excuse to wander those aisles.  We're going to make up some CarePacks!  I still have to write my letter-- and buy the toothbrush and comb to go in the pack.  Our shopping trip was on high speed between VBS and tutoring, and we ran short of time.

Want to shop for a CarePack too?  If you live near here, you can get them to us.  We hope to be seeing someone headed to the warehouse within the next months.  Or you can go to the warehouse yourself!  Their fall work project is coming up.  You don't know how much fun working can be until you go there!

~Maren

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July 23, 2007

Where in the world is Liberia?  That's what we wondered when Elsa received a letter from that country last week. The young man writing had gotten a CarePack with Elsa's letter inside.  He was writing to thank for the gift and tell about his life.

What a story he has to tell.  Fourteen years of civil war left him without a father or a childhood.  Poverty is a very real part of the lives of his remaining family members.  High school has dragged on until this year when he's 21 because of having to pay his own way.  Now he wonders if he will ever be able to make it through college. 

Is he hopeless?  No.  He has a vibrant faith in God that has brought him through and is giving him the ability to keep on.  He writes, "One thing that come to my mind is that 'You were successful from the womb of mommy and she took care of you by the grace of God, this same God who been God is still God.' So this saying give me courage to trust God even more."

Isn't that neat?  Here we send gifts and letters to share our faith, and along the way we are challenged by those living it out in the most difficult of situations.

This letter reminded me that it's getting to be that time of year again...  "Back to School Sales" are on, and it's the perfect time to assemble some CarePacks.  Who knows who will be touched through this simple (and fun!) gesture.  Visit the GAiN website for details.

~Maren

PS-- Liberia is a country on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Côte d'Ivoire.

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July 11, 2007

"What should I cook for dinner?"  If you're normal, you've faced that dilemma more than once. 

It has been special for us to get to know several Russians quite well.  We call one in particular "our interpreter" because of the extensive work she has done via email helping with our prison correspondence.  An extra plus of that communication is that we get a glimpse into daily life on the other side of the world.

Guess what we've learned?  Russians are not that different than us!  They are real people that have the same problems.  For instance, our friend has expressed the same frustration we have over being out of ideas for what to cook for a meal.

This similarity the world over may appear self-evident, but in reality it's easy for us to think of people living in other places as being different from us.  That's a dangerous mentality for us as believers to fall into.  We know our daily struggles with sin and our need for Christ, yet it is vital we understand that this same fallen human nature requires the same "cure" in all corners of the globe.  People need the Lord next door, in Ecuador, Siberia, well, you name the place!

We have the answer to a much more serious question than what menu to serve.  Souls are starving for the Bread of Life.  What can we do today to offer them Christ? 

"He satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things."

Psalm 107:9

By the way, our interpreter made all kinds of connections for us during the summer mission when we weren't able to be there.  I don't know what we'd do without her!

~Maren

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June 15, 2007

A couple evenings ago I must have talked for close to an hour with our friend, Linda.  She and many others that we know recently returned from another ministry trip to Kemerovo.  I peppered Linda with questions, and she filled me in on many of the people and places that are so familiar to us. 

Some of the greatest news is that the pastors from the evangelical churches in Kemerovo are meeting together and working together well.  The GAiN team had a wonderful time being involved in the ministry of at least one of the Pastor's for the first time.  This was especially exciting for us because of the little bit of contact our family had with him on our 2005 visit.  God's at work!

I'll keep thinking of more to tell.  Come back soon!

~Maren

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July 22, 2006

There is more to Nastya's story.  She was very excited in her last emails.  Her life, and that of her brother, took a sudden change when they were taken into the home of one of their teachers.  Now Nastya writes of her new father.  I can tell how much it means for her to have a place to belong.

Our heavenly Father is at it again.  He's putting the lonely and the fatherless in families.  Wow!

~Maren

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July 6, 2006

It was a bit sad not to be packing our bags for Siberia this summer.  Yet we know that God has other plans just as wonderful, and besides, we still have contact with our Russian friends.

Nastya, a young girl that I met a year ago, still emails.  She tells about the weather and her life but doesn't stick to fluff.  She told me how much she has enjoyed talking about God with her friends.  Then she even asked me if I would tell her more about Him!

Nastya has a hunger and thirst for God that many of us long-time believers need.  What new can you and I learn about Him these summer months?

~Maren

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April 14, 2006

God sent us a gift in the form of a phone call last week.  It was a young Russian friend that we hadn't seen for five years.  Dima, his wife, and their little son are visiting the states for a couple months.

While Dad and Mom visited with Dima, I thought back to before and contrasted it with now.  Rejection of God vs. faith in God.  Searching for answers vs. serving as assistant pastor.  A rocky relationship vs. marriage and a family.  It's a story of God's transforming power and a reminder to me to trust God to act in big ways.

They visited for a long time.  Five years had passed, and there was lots of catching up to do.  Afterwards Dad and Mom had to remember and repeat everything to us girls.  Excitement reigned, and we were late at getting to bed.  Thanks a lot, Dima!  I really mean it.

~Maren

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March 22, 2006

I have been putting off writing a letter to Tamara, but I finally did it last night.  I didn't know what to write to a woman who says her "heart is bleeding."  Her husband abandoned the family when their son became sick, and now Tamara's mother is paralyzed and in need of expensive injections that cannot be purchased in her country.

It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.  Once I began writing, I realized how much hope I have to share.  My God is the one who is a "Father to the fatherless."  He's there for the lonely and desperate.  He's the great Physician.  And because Christ died and lives, there is hope for tomorrow.  Heaven is ahead with no more sickness or tears!

Please pray that Tamara and her family will put their hope in God.  Also please let me know if you have any idea of how to find her aunt who lives in either Austria or Australia!  She left fifty years ago, and all that we have to go by is her maiden name-- in Cyrillic.  Tamara thinks they could get some help there...

~Maren

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February 18, 2006

I just got done reading a day-by-day report from the winter mission to Belarus.  It was interesting to me because of the friends we know that made the trip.  But it kept me spell-bound for another reason.  Imagine experiencing these situations for yourself:  Blind children feeling loving arms around them-- believers sharing how God has provided miraculously-- plain food staples welcomed with tears-- smiles brought to sad faces-- the sick receiving hope and joy... 

I know from past trips how God can use us.  I also know that He uses these encounters to change us.  Will you be the next to go... and be changed?

~Maren

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January 24, 2006

It was our pleasure to have so many of you turn out for our Siberia report and Russian Tea.  We just couldn't hold back the stories any longer!  God is doing so many incredible things, and you have been a part of it.  Your support and involvement means more to us than you can know.

Like I mentioned during the presentation, so much is being done to reach the people of Russia with Christ's care and salvation, but there is so much yet to be done!  Every week our family receives several communications from that part of the world in the form of letters and emails.  It is great and overwhelming at the same time!

We could use your prayers as we seek to find the time, energy, and words to respond to each person.  Sometimes we just get so tired... But we can't do that!  These are real people with real and individual needs.  It's really an amazing privilege to be involved in their lives!  Would you join us in praying for the love of Christ to make a difference in each of these unique situations?  We can't do this without you!

~Maren

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